1985 EASTWOOD RAVINE

Filming Location from “Back to the Future”

Located in Port Hueneme, California

SEE THE END OF THIS ARTICLE FOR
LOCATION AND VISITING INFORMATION!

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The Delorean Death Site / Finale Site – BTTFtour.com

Another BTTFtour.com first!! To our knowledge, for the first time we bring you photos and the directions to the location of the Back to the Future trilogy’s finále! A while back, world famous sidekick Tony P and I took to the streets of Port Hueneme, CA after carefully listening to the commentary on BTTF part IIII. We bought a map of Ventura county and literally visited EVERY street that had a railroad crossing in the city. After two trips and countless hours of searching, we found the site, in pristine 1990 condition, on the very southernmost tip of Ventura road, just before it dead ends into the ocean!

Here it is that the DeLorean met it’s untimely end, and here also is where Doc returns to give us all hope that someday, somehow, the Back to the Future story will live on..

In reality this junction is surrounded by high class apartments and townhomes and there are tons of people about by day – all of whom are completely oblivious to the fact that this, for BTTF fans worldwide, is sacred ground. The place the DeLorean that inspired millions of future owners of Gull-Wing doors met it’s end…

All I can say about this location is: VISIT and share your stories with us! We spent a lot of time tracking this site down and we hope that all of you BTTF fans will finally be able to enjoy a visit!

By the way, the best place to park is where Marty parks his truck in the movie (See screenshot below). The Townhouse/Condo complex just to the northeast of this RR junction has a driveway just north of the railroad tracks. Once inside, take the first right and head to the dead end. This may be private property though, so make sure there are no signs posted and that you always yield to the locals!

The Site in the Film – Screenshot from Back to the Future – Part III – 1990The real life intersection today. Nothing has changed.The ocean is a block away to the left of this shot.. We found this location on our own, by driving around Port Hueneme or about 6 hours.Here’s the intersection today. I know, the picture sucks. It was late in the day and the sun was setting. We will have more photos coming very soon! And when we do we’ll get the right angles.

GPS COORDINATES: +34.144996, -119.195209

This text & these photos are from the OLD version of this website. Major update soon.

Filming Location from “Back to the Future III”

Located in Oxnard, California

SEE THE END OF THIS ARTICLE FOR
LOCATION AND VISITING INFORMATION!

We are currently performing maintenance on this article. If you would like to contribute, please contact us via the main menu!

After a LOT of searching and wandering all over Oxnard, the staff at BTTFtour.com brings you the very first images and directions to this location on the net. Another first! More than one other site have promised to get photos of this location, but to my knowledge it never happened. So we bring you yet another location that many fans have been searching for.

Know how we found it? Driving around Oxnard with a map and hitting nearly every street that looked likely. It took many hours, but this is an easily recognizable location. Go see it for yourself and make sure to send us any photos you think we should have on the site!

Just make sure when you visit not to hit anyone’s Rolls-Royce!

(This is currently the only website we know of, in English, to give this specific location in detail. There’s been a certain amount of debate whether or not it’s the first. Let me put it this way, we didn’t know where it was, we had to drive around Oxnard for hours and hours and hours.)

Hilldale 1985 in the Film – Screenshot from Back to the Future – Part III – 1990

The real life intersection today. Aside from a few palm trees and the natural growth of plants etc, the location has changed very little! The field across the street (and behind the camera) is virtually unchanged whatsoever!

Doris ave just west of Oxford Ave, Oxnard California. We found this location on our own, by driving around Oxnard constantly.

Here’s the street today. Photo by Tom Lewis

I know, the picture sucks. It was late and the sun was setting and blasting right into the camera lens. The next time we go to Oxnard, you will have better photos.

Ah, good old alternate 1985. After Marty and Doc come back from the future and drop of Jennifer, and just after Marty is chased out of what he thinks is his house, he runs up a street alongside the school and sits down on a porch to pick up a newspaper (to check the date). As you probably remember, Alternate Mr. Strickland shoves a shotgun into Marty’s face, tells him the school was burned down years ago, and was just about to make Marty into a eunuch, when he was interrupted by a drive-by shooting.

Well, BTTFtour.com is proud to tell you that the house survived the drive-by intact, and is safe and sound in Whittier, California, right next to the real-life high school used for the films. At first, one might not recognize this as being the right location, because the porch looks much different than it did at the time of filming. It was probably changed just after the film’s release, as Whittier High school is no more than fifty yards away, and the owner’s probably didn’t want any “slackers” taking their own newspapers! (Note the gap in the foundation from the old steps!). You can tell from the comparison shots below that little else has changed. I didn’t recognize the house myself the first time I saw it, but after carefully reviewing the scene on the DVD, I concluded this must, indeed be the right place. The Location Manager for BTTFII later confirmed this for me.

When visiting this location, make sure to either come in daylight or with a friend, as this neighborhood seems to go back and forth with various crime problems from year to year. Not only that, but come between 3 and 5 if possible, as school will be out and it doesn’t look strange. People can get weird these days if they see anyone near a school for any reason (And obviously you don’t want to drive right next to Hill Valley High School and not visit there too!).

I have friends who attended to Whittier High School in the 80s, although they don’t remember any filming, since all of it was done over school breaks. Still, though I’m constantly in the neighborhood, for years I managed to miss Strickland’s House, because I didn’t notice that the background of the shot showing Marty approach the house was the side of the High School gymnasium until years later. Now, however, in the DVD version of Back to the Future part II there is a great deleted scene of Marty looking at the burned down High School that fits in just before he gets to Mr. Strickland’s house. Make sure not to sit on this porch. Most likely you will have a similar experience to Marty… if you know what I mean.

Our most recent visit was February 23, 2013. The house was just recently sold, and is looking much better than it has in years. Of course, this means they painted the porch foundation, so you can’t tell where the original steps used to be. We just added some new photos to the archive!

By the way, this was first published on our site. Another location BTTFtour.com broke to the public back in the day! (Although we know now a few people visited it before us) We’re stoked to have been able to put this puzzle piece back in to the BTTF fandom picture. Of course now it’s linked on mega-sites all over the web. Speaking of pictures, we have a lot more coming for our 2013 updates, and would LOVE to see your pictures of this location! Send em to us and we’ll get them up on the site!

ADDRESS: 12511 BAILEY ST, WHITTIER, CA

GPS COORDINATES: +34.105691, -118.141549

Special shoutout to Wesley Treat, who found this location way before us,(although he didnt ever publish it online) and is a supremely cool dude.

Biff Tannen’s Pleasure Paradise Casino and Hotel

Filming Location from Back to the Future part II – sort of.

If you read one sentence from this page, read this; This location was not actually seen on Screen! Due to popular request, weve included the INSPIRATION FOR the tower of Biff’s Casino; The Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. A model based off this hotel was used (along with composite shots of the courthouse) to create Biff’s casino as seen on screen. The Rooftop was filmed on the roof of the Universal Studios theme park on the upper lot, and Biff’s suite was filmed on stage twelve. This isn’t really a BTTF location, but because so many of you kind people have sent us in photos over the years, we thought we’d start throwing some of them up. If you’re really interested in visiting a screen-used location from Biff’s Casino, we discovered and published the staircase seen in the movie back in 2007. Check that out here, along with the story of alarms and almost being arrested… sort of.

As an aside, I just stayed in this hotel, in room 2011. The rooms are all remodeled and pretty nice. The best part is they’re dirt cheap, and it sits at the dead end of the Fremont Street experience. I’d definitely stay there again, even though I personally find Las Vegas kind of sad and disgusting.. Check out their website here. (Opens in new page).

OAK PARK CEMETERY Filming Location from Back to the Future part II

PRIVATE PROPERTY, NO VISITORS ALLOWED. SUUUUCKS

When they filmed Back to the Future part II, they filmed the cemetery scene down in Wilmington, California. If you’ve ever been to Wilmington, odds are you won’t want to go back. It’s full of oil refineries and there are times where the smell is overpowering. When you’re not surrounded by refineries, you’re probably surrounded by gangs, as the city is plagued by crime. I’m sure there’s probably a portion of wilmington that residents would describe as “nice” – but I’ve never seen it, and until I see it with my own eyes, I have to admit I’m plagued by doubt.

Marty has learned that in the alternate timeline, (1985a, or just ‘Alternate 1985’) his Father has been murdered. His mother tells him to go to Oak Park Cemetery. Filmed against a backdrop of refinery smokestacks, the setting of the scene made Marty’s discovery of his Father’s murder and Doc’s revelation of being committed to a mental asylum that much more intense.

In order to have a cemetery at a refinery, the location scouts traveled down to Wilmington, where the Ultramar refinery, in an early attempt to look “green,” had a landscaped duck pond on the property. Unfortunately, all the ducks died or found somewhere less disgusting to live, and after several phone calls I was informed by employees of Valero that the area was long since bulldozed and replaced with a large crude oil tank.

Still determined to stand where Marty and Doc stood, I visited the refinery office on numerous occasions, only to be rejected as a visitor. Not only are there serious safety concerns for visitors, but ever since 9-11, rigid and extreme security measures are in place as well. You wouldn’t think it’d be so hard to visit a refinery. As a matter of fact, on the old version of the site I had listed the GPS coordinates, and I literally received an email from the office of Homeland Security politely-but-firmly requesting that I remove the information. I did.

In the years since, I finally managed to get ahold of an employee who’s been there since the 80s. The area with the duck pond, he confirmed, was leveled and a good portion of the background scenery was rebuilt around the tanks. When I asked about getting a photo that would line up with the background of the shot, he looked around for me and let me know that it’s impossible. All hope gone. I feel almost as bad as Marty did standing in the cemetery itself, but I have to declare this location dead. Gone. Lost. All I could get from Valero was a link to a page about the history of their refinery;

Significant new construction and upgrades took place in the early 1980s and mid-1990s with the latter focused mainly on the addition of hydrotreating capacity

So, in the King’s English that means they basically demolished the duck pond area that helped them look environmentally savvy to become actually more environmentally friendly. Hydrotreating removes Sulfur dioxide emissions from fuels.

I’ve put the GPS coordinates and address back up, and I have some photos from the refinery. In an effort to be ‘transparent’ these companies are a lot friendlier to the public than they used to be, and a lot more open about these types of locations.

Sadly, theres little-to-no reason for a BTTF fan, however extreme, to visit this location. It’s far out of the way of the other sites, and like I said, it’s gone without a trace.

BIFF’S CASINO STAIRWAY Filming Location from “Back to the Future” part II

WE FOUND IT! That’s right, the holy grail of Back to the Future filming locations! For YEARS people searched for this sweet spot and couldn’t find it. When we first published it on the site in 2007, it got blasted all over the internet, and no matter how much we politely requested a link back, we didn’t get it. But that’s ok. After a lot of therapy we finally managed to leave the basement and stash away our mason jars full of urine, and get back to running this site.

The year is 1985. The timeline: alternate. Marty McFly has finally confronted freaky pimp-daddy alter-Biff in his sweet suite on the 27th floor of Biff’s Casino, and dashed into the stairwell to make his escape. He heads down stairs, then hops up on and intertwining staircase and makes his way up to the roof. I don’t know about you, but as a kid this scene was one of my favorites. It’s the classic switcheroo.

If you just want the galleries and location scroll down because this one takes a little back story, but I promise if you stick with me, it’s worth reading about how we finally found this place.

I’d been visiting the Back to the Future filming locations for years and it had honestly never even occured to me that this stairway might exist outside of a soundstage. With my old partner (who sadly passed away in a freak accident involving comic books and gasoline) we started bttftour.com as an easy place to publish a bunch of locations that were not available online. Luckily, to aid our quest, Michael J Burmeister, Location manager from parts II and III bequethed his locations list to us back in the early 00s and we were able to find several missing pieces of the BTTF puzzle and share them with all our friends via the internets.

The Getaway

After I had found and visited all the BTTF locations I’d ever hoped to see, I thought the quest was over. One thing kept bugging me though. On one of the lists Mr. Burmeister had sent over, was a listing for “Paradise Casino stairs, The Registry Hotel.” I knew that Paradise Casino was Biff’s casino because the roof was listed above as well. Both addresses were for Universal Studios itself, but the strange part was that the Casino Roof was clearly listed as the roof of the BattleStar Galactica show building (that would ironically later become Back to the Future.. The Ride) and the stairwell said Registry Hotel.

Of course, there’s no registry hotel at Universal Studios Hollywood. But suddenly the clouds of idiocy parted and it dawned on me that maybe THE UNIVERSAL CITY HILTON, Built on the Hill outside the gate at Universal Studios, used to be the Registry hotel!!! Five seconds of googling provided the proof. GREAT SCOTT! We had the address, we had the info, everything was set!! At long last Back to the Future fans everywhere would get a shot at visiting Biff’s Casino!!!!

Stick with me, because this is where the fun begins.

Sometime in the fall of 2005 I swung by Universal. I boldly parked my giant spray-painted van (it looked like this) out front, walked into the hotel, and asked if I could look in the stairway. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I know that’s the dumbest possible thing you can do when looking for a filming location. Maybe I was hung over, I don’t know. All I know is that the suits running the counter seemed personally offended that I wanted to see their stairs, and had two giant, bald, ear-piece wearing, gorilla-faced thugs basically push me out of the building. “That’s cool bros,” I thought, “Time is on my side. I’ll come back later.”

One week later I tried my luck again, this time I figured I’d approach from the rear and enter via the underground parking garage instead of the lobby. Alas! My common sense was turned off again that day, the Van was too tall, and when it inevitably bumped against the height-limit warning bar it set off the loudest alarm I have ever heard in my entire life. I kid you not, this thing literally sounded like one of those submarine alarms from The Hunt for the Red October or the bridge of the Starship Enterprise after some rogue Klingons show up. I could barely hear him over the alarm, but the bald, earpiece wearing, badly sunburned security guard either screamed something about making love to me, or hurting me really badly. I didn’t stick around to find out, and after that experience, I didn’t come back til the fall of 2006.

Dressed to the nines and driving my Mom’s new explorer, I boldly entered via the lobby. After going up the elevator and getting in the only stairwell, I was stoked! Easy! We go all the way up, and we’ll see the spot! We were so stoked to see the right kind of railing, the right kind of doors, the right kind of steps! But when we got to the top, something was dreadfully wrong. Somehow, we couldn’t reenact the scene and hop between stairways.. and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. There were TWO stairways in that scene.. and each set went to the same floor.. how is that possible? Who would build that!? Dismayed, I searched every stairwell in the hotel to no avail and left again in defeat.

Maybe it was a set piece after all, because the architecture made no sense. Who would build two staircases in the same stairwell… but no! On hearing of my woes, a very wise man named Greg instantly pointed out that often such stairways are seen in Parking garages where the bottom and top doors on each stairwell lead to different places. As Marty would say, “Holy Shit!” I forgot to check the Parking Garage!

Victory!

SO on Valentine’s day 2007 we left Orange County again. Armed with the digital camera and 4 gallons of Gas, we paid the very steep (for 2007) parking garage fee of $4.00/hr, and drove down to “P3.” – After checking every stairwell, we FINALLY found it! It’s on the wall that faces outwards, to the Northwest. In it are two stairwells with two stairways apiece inside of them. You’re looking for the one on your left, towards the freeway. It’s confusing and you’ll probably need to print a photo from this site to make sure you aren’t in the other staircase, which is mirror image to this one.

Finally I was able to live out my childhood dream and jump the banister while my friend ran down in the other direction fruitlessly searching for me. We leapt out the door to the “roof” and reenacted the confrontation scene with Biff. It was a glorious, sexy day that will live in infamy for all time.

It’s still there, and other than paint it hasn’t changed a BIT. Keep in mind that if you visit there’s still a ton of ape-brained muscly armed security and douchey, unfriendly staff ready to hate on visitors. BUT the loophole is if you pay for parking, you pay for the right to use the damn stairwell. LAWYERED. So go forth, Back to the Future fans! Get in Biff’s stairwell and jump around. The only and thing that could make it better would be these, but trust me, still pretty satisfying.

Up until recently, to reiterate, this was the only website to EVER publish it’s location. It would be pretty cool to have a link back here if you publish it. As you just read, it took a lot of sleuthing to hunt the right one – the epilogue to the story is that they saw us coming out of the stairwell and threatened to have us arrested if we didn’t delete the pictures, claiming that we could be taking them for “terrorist reasons.” Luckily, we paid to park in that garage, and they couldn’t do much. Ok, enough of all this, enjoy the pictures we’re proud to present to you! (More coming ridiculously soon)

Filming Location from Back to the Future part II & III

Located in Monrovia, California

Editor’s Note: this text is from the old version of BTTF tour – we’re going to be revising these articles in the coming days. The photos and screenshots from these articles will all be down below for the time being, instead of thumbnails within the text. Thanks for your patience, and visit us again when everything’s tidied up!

THIS LOCATION IS A PRIVATE RESIDENCE, DO NOT DISTURB OCCUPANTS!

WEBMASTERS, PLEASE READ: We are the first to post the accurate site of this location online. Please credit BTTFtour.com if you list the address for this location, We worked hard to find it! See below to find out why we ask.. This location is a private residence. DO NOT DISTURB OCCUPANTS! Just off the 210 Freeway, a stone’s throw from old Route 66 and relatively close to Pasadena locations such as the Gamble House, Jennifer’s house makes a picture perfect stop and a perfect addition to your sightseeing day!

But, until this website, Jennifer’s House has been something of an enigma for Back to the Future fans and location hunters alike!! Some suspected it’s location to be near Bushnell Ave in South Pasadena, or near Whittier High School, but since filming wrapped, this site has remained a mystery.

Now, for the very first time online, we feature Jennifer’s house from Back to the Future parts II and III! This house is a beautifully maintained piece of real estate, and it’s owners have done a fabulous job in keeping it just like – if not better than – it was on film. Of course, I’m referring to the “real” 1985 scenes (BTTF pIII), not the Alternate 1985 scenes (with the bars on the windows).

For over FIVE YEARS we hunted for Jennifer’s house, coming up with many likely neighborhoods and a few likely houses, and during all that time it was right under my nose!!! But it took the help of the Location Manager from parts II and III, Mr. M.J. Burmeister, to help me finally narrow the search and confirm it’s location!

Since we first published this location on the internet, BTTF fans have been awesome. You guys have been very respectful to the homeowners and to us. We don’t usually ask that you keep the address to the locations off of your websites, but we ask that you do not republish this one, unless you quote the following bold paragraphs. Thanks to everyone for all the kind remarks on this location. Send us pictures of your visits, and we’ll be glad to post them up online!

We spoke with the property owner in 2002 and they said it is fine for BTTF fans to take photos from the street, but please do not come on the property, especially the front porch, as it is trespassing and you’re liable to scare the daylight out of the local residents (and their dogs.. which are likely to be set on you)

It’s easy to see the porch, and to get great photos of it just by zooming in with your regular camera. There’s no need to trespass, or bother these people. But for BTTFtour.com, we were allowed to come up and take photos on the porch to share with all of you, especially you BTTF fans out of state and overseas, since you probably won’t be getting the chance to visit any time soon. They let us do this so you would not have to do this! They were not there for the filming, they can not and will not answer any of your questions!! PLEASE PARK ACROSS THE STREET ALONG THE CURB, TAKE PHOTOS QUIETLY, AND LEAVE.

UPDATE: We first broke this location to the public several years ago on BTTFtour.com – since then many people have re-published it’s address all over. We don’t mind this – no one “owns” the information – it’s for all of us to enjoy* – but please, if you post this information on your website, PLEASE make sure to add the last two paragraphs above, and if you’re cool, link us! The nice folks who live here gave us permission to post this page & these photos, with the condition that we tell people the above, and ask them not to come up on their lawn, or especially on their porch!! When you repost this without specifically stating that, more and more retards bother the owners until BOOM! privacy hedge 6′ tall. We’ve seen it before!!

Filming Location from “Back to the Future part III”

Located in Port Hueneme, California

Editor’s Note: this text is from the old version of BTTF tour – we’re going to be revising these articles in the coming days. The photos and screenshots from these articles will all be down below for the time being, instead of thumbnails within the text. Thanks for your patience, and visit us again when everything’s tidied up!

We are currently performing maintenance on this article. If you would like to contribute, please contact us via the main menu!

The Delorean Death Site / Finale Site – BTTFtour.com

Another BTTFtour.com first!! To our knowledge, for the first time we bring you photos and the directions to the location of the Back to the Future trilogy’s finále! A while back, world famous sidekick Tony P and I took to the streets of Port Hueneme, CA after carefully listening to the commentary on BTTF part IIII. We bought a map of Ventura county and literally visited EVERY street that had a railroad crossing in the city. After two trips and countless hours of searching, we found the site, in pristine 1990 condition, on the very southernmost tip of Ventura road, just before it dead ends into the ocean!

Here it is that the DeLorean met it’s untimely end, and here also is where Doc returns to give us all hope that someday, somehow, the Back to the Future story will live on..

In reality this junction is surrounded by high class apartments and townhomes and there are tons of people about by day – all of whom are completely oblivious to the fact that this, for BTTF fans worldwide, is sacred ground. The place the DeLorean that inspired millions of future owners of Gull-Wing doors met it’s end…

All I can say about this location is: VISIT and share your stories with us! We spent a lot of time tracking this site down and we hope that all of you BTTF fans will finally be able to enjoy a visit!

By the way, the best place to park is where Marty parks his truck in the movie (See screenshot below). The Townhouse/Condo complex just to the northeast of this RR junction has a driveway just north of the railroad tracks. Once inside, take the first right and head to the dead end. This may be private property though, so make sure there are no signs posted and that you always yield to the locals!

We also visited it during Ken Kapalowski’s “We’re Going Back” 25th anniversary celebration, where the Delorean was placed back on the tracks. See our gallery for more.

Twin Pines Mall Location from “Back to the Future”

Located in Rowland Heights/Industry, CA

Editor’s Note: this text is from the old version of BTTF tour – we’re going to be revising these articles in the coming days. The photos and screenshots from these articles will all be down below for the time being, instead of thumbnails within the text. Thanks for your patience, and visit us again when everything’s tidied up!

Here it is. Doubtless one of the favorite locations in all of BTTF locationdom. Here it is, endless asphalt and driveways for your exploration. And if you come early (or late!) enough, you yourself can drive back in time… sort of…

As we learn from Doc Brown’s monologue, “Old Man” Peabody once owned all of this, and in 1955 this was once the “Twin Pines Ranch,” (and after Marty runs one over in 55 and we come back to the mall in the end of the movie, it’s the Lone pine mall.)

This is a location you MUST visit if you are a BTTF fan, and it’s one you really have to visit to get a sense of how the chase scenes work out. There’s not too much to tell that’s terribly interesting, though I have been here several times and it’s always a hoot, as we skateboard in the steps of Marty McFly and race our cars through the parking lot –(though I don’t suggest you do it, or risk arrest.. as I was threatened with last time, and not by Paul Blart either, by the real cops. We’ll have an update on why soon, when we find out if all the details are true).

It hasn’t changed too terribly much in the last few years, but sometime in the mid-90s it underwent a drastic facelift. And, as is wont to happen in a mall, the tenents come and go. In case you hadn’t guessed, there never was a photo-stand in the parking lot. Just make sure you enter from Colima Road, and enter the driveway on the SOUTH side of the mall, the one between TGI Fridays and the Soup Plantation.

Tip: Stop at TGI friday’s and have some lunch, their outdoor patio gives you a great view of the location!

While we haven’t provided you with much witty dialogue or many entertaining stories, we HAVE provided you with a TON of photos and screenshots of this location so that you can have a lot of reference when you visit! Just scroll down for the photos!

Here’s a handy reference map that was created years ago by our friends at the former exkren.com. In 2007, we created several vector-image maps of our own! Ours routes out the delorean’s course and sets this all in motion for everyone! This will give you the exact course!

Here’s our EXCLUSIVE map to the chase! This will help you find the EXACT spots you’re looking for! simply rollover the image with your mouse to see the chase routes, or click to enlarge the chase map!

COORDINATES: 33.991503,-117.926656

Hill Valley High Location from “Back to the Future”

Located in Whittier, California

Editor’s Note: this text is from the old version of BTTF tour – we’re going to be revising these articles in the coming days. The photos and screenshots from these articles will all be down below for the time being, instead of thumbnails within the text. Thanks for your patience, and visit us again when everything’s tidied up!

SEE THE END OF THIS ARTICLE FOR LOCATION AND VISITING INFORMATION!

We are currently performing maintenance on this article. If you would like to contribute, please contact us via the main menu!

THIS LOCATION IS A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL, DO NOT ENTER DURING SCHOOL HOURS! Obtain Permission ftom Administration before Wandering Grounds!!

Hill Valley High School! The first time we come across this location in “Back to the Future” it’s 1985, and the place looks like a typical run-down, underfunded school. But not long after we blast into the past with Marty, we see his alma mater in mint 1955 condition! In real life, Whittier High School provided the location. During spring break of 1985, the crew showed up to reshoot scenes at the high school. Re-shoot? Yes, you read that correctly. Originally, Back to the future was cast with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly, and they filmed on location at Whittier in 1984.

But enough useless trivia! On to the location! At first glance, Whittier High School looks nothing like the location you remember from the 1950s scenes. Pulling up to the front entrance is like pulling up to the fence at Auchwitz. Security on this campus is no joke. And you’ll find more fences within the perimiter fence of WHS. Over the last few years, they’ve been undertaking structural and cosmetic rennovations at a snail’s pace. Often large areas of the campus are closed or fenced off. Now, that’s never stopped us from poking around or squeezing through the gaps of the fences, but legally speaking I DO NOT recommend you do that. Make sure to take all precautions and attain permission before you roam this site. Remember, people can be a little strange about adults wandering the grounds of any school!

Hill Valley High School Back to the Future location map circa 2003

You will easily recognize the front entrance (On Philadelphia). That’s actually the administration building and also the building where the indoor/hallway scenes were shot. The “parking lot” for the dance where Marty “parks” with his mother is NOT actually a parking lot! This will save you a lot of time! Pay close attention to the film and our comparison photos. The site is actually a paved walk/driveway in the middle of a lunch area off Whittier Ave south of the Gym. It is usually blocked from view from the street by new portable classrooms, and at the time of our last visit, industrial sized dumpsters, but if you enter the front gate of the school, you will easily be able to get to this location.

The School cafeteria was also actually used for the Hill Valley High cafeteria scenes, and is located on campus. However, I have been told REPEATEDLY that the cafeteria area is OFF LIMITS to visitors, and have thus far been denied permission to post my photos of the interior of the school. If a STUDENT at Whittier High School could send us photos of the cafeteria and inside the administration building, we’d greatly appreciate it!

The back area of the Dance where Marty gets locked in a trunk is behind the real-life Gym (not used for interior shots) and is also off of Whittier avenue. The strange covered hallway where Marty is chased by Biff’s gang is between the pool and the gym, accessed from the parking lot. This is also usually your best bet for gaining access to campus if the front gate is closed. Many athletic activities go on in the evening during the school year, and so the back gates are open. Talk to campus security or the teacher on staff, and they’ll usually give you “official” permission to go poke around the buildings’ exteriors.

Also, while in the area, Bailey Street, a street you will see while in the neighborhood, is the home of Strickland’s House from Part II, so make sure to visit that page and hit both sites! Use our map, linked up on the left as “guide,” as your guide to the filming locations. It’s clearly labeled and will help you make sense of the disorienting use of WHS campus.